The one car I wish I had test driven before buying my DD

"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
01/10/2018 at 11:02 • Filed to: None

My Beetle has been a good car for me. The transmission and engine are a good combo, 2 door life with a kid isn’t too bad and even my cross country skis fit surprisingly well. But I’ve always liked the Mazda5. I drove an automatic once and it was nice but I think a stick would make it giggle worthy in a good way. I park next to one of these a lot of days and I often think to myself, “what if?” I’d probably miss the boost but love the space; I’d been able to wring it out way more than the beetle; and although the VW came with a warranty which gives me some peace of mind the long term ownership for a mazda5 probably would have been much easier. So that’s how I’m spending my Wednesday at my desk is contemplating van life.

DISCUSSION (10)

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
01/10/2018 at 11:44

Have one with the 6MT. Can confirm. Utterly reliable. Fun. Never getting rid of it.

Mechanically > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
01/10/2018 at 12:17

My ‘06 Mazda6 Wagon is at 163k, so I feel like I should start looking around.

I keep coming back to the Mazda5. It’s just hard to argue with what they offer.

There are other contenders, of course. I drive 20k a year for work, and can’t figure out how to balance fun, and sensible.

I used to do my job out of my ‘91 Miata. Never should have sold it. I was peakjalop.

Mini Clubman. Love it, don’t want to shoulder the costs of BMW service and parts.

BMW. Don’t feel like being associated with others in sales who drive them. Sorry.

Audi. No. (In spite of having some lovely wagony options.)

Hyundai Veloster. Stupid sunroof cover is 2 inches below the glass. I’m 6'5'’, and brush the cover. No go. (I sincerely fit better in my NA Miata. Ha.) Otherwise find it palatable. Particularly with a manual.

Late aughts Crown Vic or Grand Marquis, or Lincoln. Actually similar fuel economy to my current 6, so not great, but not awful. Cheap to maintain. Awesome for sitting in while hurtleing down the highway. Could deal with the sedan-ness. Mildly curious about diy forced induction? More curious about a T5 manual swap! Seems like it would be pleasantly peculiar, and that’s my jam.

Camry/Accord/Civic/Corolla. Just too vanilla. Plus, they command a premium on the used market. It’s well-deserved, but I don’t want to pay it.

Most all Hyundai/Kia. Probably some good value here. But I’m apathetic to the entirety of their lineup.

GM. Nope.

FCA. Nope nope. (Unless I decided a 500 was an option.)

Fusion ST or Focus ST. I think I’m open to either. The FiSt is likely closer to my budget over the next couple years. But it’d have to be a unicorn; Sold by private individual rather than a dealer. Unmodified. Service records. Etc. Not sure I’ll find one.

Focus hatch. I should probably buy this. My mom had an ‘09 Focus sedan, and I HATED the seats. Just uncomfortable for my size. Maybe a newer one would be improved?

Subaru. I find AWD an overblown feature for my corner of the world, and see it as unnecessary complexity. (But Forester XT has some compelling fizz.)

Volvo wagon. Love the idea. Uncertain as to operating costs compared to my current ride. And again, hard to find 2wd options.

Soul/Cube/xB. Just don’t see myself in one. Probably seem too down market, which is likely unfair on my part. Oh well.

Anything over about $11k. I just would rather sink money into the mortgage or travel with the family. We value those things more.

Thoughts?

bob and john > Mechanically
01/10/2018 at 12:34

i’m just saying, the mazdaspeed three motor bolts in (the front of it is basicly a 3 anyways) and with the eco brought over, it gains stability control too!

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > Mechanically
01/10/2018 at 13:10

As someone who has more or less lived in a Focus for the past 5 years, the seats in a ‘12+ are fine as long as you get an SEL, Titanium, or an SE with leather or the Appearance Package. Basically, anything with adjustable lumbar support. They’re nicely bolstered and the lumbar adjustment is nice.

Also, I’m going to suggest a VW Jetta/Golf Sportwagen. Assuming you don’t mind rolling the dice with VW reliability, you get a super practical package with competent German car handling.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Mechanically
01/10/2018 at 14:49

I think Mazda5 is practical and affordable. A VW sportwagen with a 2.5 and stick would be a decent Mazda6 replacement. I think the Jetta wagons were pretty well built and the 2.5 is pretty low maintenance. Focus hatch seems nice if you get the stick, seats seemed fine to me but that’s pretty personal.

Maybe stay in the Mazda family with a Mazda3 hatch?

Matt Urban > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
01/10/2018 at 20:50

I have one, 140k on the clock. So far i have only replaced two of the three motor mounts, and the sway bar bushings and endlinks. Normal maintenance, and has never been to any shop. I did upgrade to Koni FSD’s which is excellent, and went up to 17" wheels and slightly wider tires. This car will get up and go, hold a bunch of shit, and has sliding doors for your convenience. This car consistently does everything i have asked it to up to easily transporting 7' non splitting fishing poles with ease. Too bad the market just isn’t there for a mini mini van.

Nauraushaun > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
01/12/2018 at 18:50

I don’t normally like silly door swirls but those ones are good. We don’t get those in Australia so I can only look.

CobraJoe > Mechanically
01/18/2018 at 15:12

Get the panther and this ADTR 6 speed swap kit . The kit is $6k, which is only double the price of a decent Panther...

As for the Volvo, I had a V50 2.4i for a few years, most reliable car I have ever owned. It shares parts with the Focus, so repairs are not expensive, and even the lowly 170hp I5 is a pretty peppy engine. I’d suggest a T5 though, better seats and turbo power are definite positives, even if the AWD is unnecessary.

I believe the V70 T5 is FWD though, and it’s pretty much the same engine as the V50, so maybe that’s worth looking at too.

Mechanically > CobraJoe
01/18/2018 at 15:54

Stared for the manual swap kit knowledge.

CobraJoe > Mechanically
01/18/2018 at 15:58

Just wanted to say: I didn’t realize this post was a week old when I replied... At least it wasn’t 5 years old.